Hellfire or Spitfire (215lb, oahu east side)

02-09-2012, 09:30 AM

Looking for some words of wisdom...Im interested in getting a board between my current 66 alternator (36L) and my 610 tuflite quad rusty piranha (48L). I weigh 215lbs (98kgs), 60 tall. Im very fit, I don't have much weight to lose. So I surf mostly east side of oahu and south shore in summer. My 610 piranha has been my go to board because it catches everything. I rarely surf the 66 alternator, but when I do its a mix of elation and disappointment. Disappointment on those days when Im not catching many waves and get noodle arms too quickly, and elation on those nice wave days when I catch waves with steep faces and turn on a dime! Its like a rice rocket compared to my big piranha. But I really think the 6'6" alternator is a bit too small.

The piranha however is too much board, Im progressing away from just cruising down the line aspect and want to cut hard and try to throw small buckets. The piranha is also a problem in heavy surf on the inside, it doesnt duck dive! So Im thinking Spitfire 64 (41.5 L) or Hellfire 66 (39.7 L). I would like this Spitfire or Hellfire to be my 95% board, east side onshore storm surf, clean steep surf, chest high up to 4 overhead. Also Im in hot pursuit for my first barrels. Any recommendations/suggestions? Mahalo.

I'd say you've picked out good boards and good sizes. As to which one, the Spitfire is going to excel on the smaller side of the spectrum, the Hellfire more on the higher end of the Spectrum. Chesthigh up and punchy waves it will be going nuts so could be a good call and maybe on the really mushy days use the piranha?
On the other hand, you could go Spitfire and then on the solid overhead days use the Alternator, but if you feel the Alternator is a little small the Hellfire would be a good replacement.

Some people say pick a board to match your frame, Im stocky and find I like short fat boards, like my 5'10 Dominator, with that reasoning Id recommend the spitfire all day long, it'll paddle / catch waves much easier than your alternator and be a good stepping stone from the piranha. Cant lose. Hellfire may have too much rocker and be as hard to paddle as your Alt.

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I think the Hellfires are still pretty low rockered compared to a 'standard' shortboard. Just a little more forgiving on steeper drops than the Dom/Spitfire.
If you can, I'd try and check out both the Hellfire and Spitfire and see which one screams out at you.

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Hammer, i am the same weight as you and live in Hawaii. (Kauai) I have a 6 4 Dom and a 6 6 Hellfire. Personally, based on what your saying, the spitfire would be the call. Its more of an everyday board. You already have the alternator which is an HP board made for good waves. The 6 4 Spitfire will paddle way better than your Alternator, and catch waves easy due to the low entry rocker. Once it starts maxing out, you can bust out the Alternator.

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thanks so much for the responses. I was leaning towards the Hellfire, but I'm definitely now leaning more towards the Spitfire and I look forward to surfing such a shortie! 6'4" Spitfire sounds fun and I'll just get way back on the tail for those super steep drops before trying to attain cover up magic. Hanaleisurfer, I been lurking on the forum for awhile, was wondering if you would chime in!!! thanks, I enjoy your posts (especially "outer limits of hellfire" thread). I think the firewire web site is really amazing...Firewire is gonna go viral if not already, nobody can touch your website!

hellfire rocker is still "basically" the spitfire rocker, but because of other aspects it performs like a shortboard in good waves....in crappier waves it wont front foot grovel as well so you have to be able to keep generating off you back foot...i'm basing this on riding it short and low volume for maximum performance.(i ride a 510 up to 93kg)...obviously if you ride it longer and with more volume than bare minimum then you will have more front foot leeway....you mention steep drops and tubes...in the hybrids, that sounds like hellfire territory...or when bigger, hellrazor territory.!

yeah guys, don't underestimate the range of the Hellfire or overestimate the range of the hellrazor!!!

In my opinion the tail shape and the outline of the Hellfire make it VERY usable in big surf. The Hellrazor has a square and a little extra width and a touch less volume and is ridden a touch shorter than traditional thrusters. This makes it kind of the ideal board for waist to a little over head. I ride a 510 Hellfire and a 511 razor and the volumes of each have me feeling a bit more comfortable in bigger surf on my Hellfire, but I can surf circles around my hellfire with the hell razor.

I know that is a bit confusing, but in this case, don't assume that because the Hellrazor has a bit more performance DNA, that its a better board for bigger waves. Its relatively refined and I am thinking that the more we see out in the water, the more we are going to realize that its the new standard for small wave shortboards....

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Well, I have a friend of a friend who might let me try his Hellfire 6'6". I think a lot of my questions could be answered just by paddling it a little bit to see what the float is like. When it all comes down to it, there's guys getting barreled on the north shore on the costco Wave Storm (foam board), so it's probably not gonna matter which board I get, I just have to be braver. Thanks for the input though.

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I got to try the 6'6" hellfire yesterday! in head high to slightly overhead east side surf. It was a little windy, but waves were still pretty smooth, a little mushy on the outside but then came into a steep sand bar section. Caught two long rights on the 6'6" hellfire. The board turned great, pumped down the line great. Yes, it paddles better than my 6'6" alternator, but overall I wasn't too thrilled on the board. Felt like a loaf of bread. It felt THICK. I felt like I was too far out of the water. Duck diving was noticably harder. Got pulled back on a couple, I guess I wasn't able to get far enough under the churn. When up and riding, the rails felt like they grabbed really good, the front rails almost seemed to "catch" a little. Caught the waves earlier and easier than my 6'6" alternator. Was able to paddle further to set up for the sweet spot. I know anytime you jump on a new board, it's gonna feel strange, but overall, I'm glad I got to try it, maybe I need more time on the board to get used to it...but not too excited on it after the short trial....I don't know...just my intermediate humble opinions.